Means for the manufacture of cut pile fabrics



Dec. 6, 1966 L. M. VALENTINE 3,289,706

MEANS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CUT FILE FABRICS Filed June 10, 1965 1 n venfor L I/VOEA/ M 144 L aw-nvg A Horney United States Patent f 3,289,706 MEANS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CUT FILE FABRiCfi Linden Morgan Valentine, Danbury, Conn, assignor to L. Morgan Valentine Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 10, 1965, Ser. No. 462,962 11 Claims. (Cl. 139*21) This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 292,702 filed July 3, 1963, for Manufacture of Cut Pile Fabrics.

This invention relates to apparatus for making a long pile fabric in a loom of the double shuttle type and has for an object to provide a loom of the above type having novel and improved characteristics.

Another object is to provide a loom of the above type which is capable of weaving long pile fabric or a fabric having a combination of long and short pile.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

In one embodiment of the invention, a pair of fabric layers are woven face to face in a double shuttle loom with pile warps extending between the two layers and anchored therein. A set of gage members is disposed between and adjacent each of the layers and a set of floating filler shots is disposed above and below each set of gage members. The pile warps are woven under and over these filler shots in their path between the two fabric layers. As the fabrics advance the pile yarns are cut at a point between the sets of gage members to form a pair of pile fabrics in which the length of the pile is greater than the distance between the fabrics in the loom.

The present invention provides gage members of novel and improved construction in combination with supporting means for holding the gage members in fixed position at the cutting station.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which a specific embodiment has been set forth for the purposes of illustration.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a portion of a loom illustrating the present apparatus; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawing more in detail the invention is shown as embodied in a loom for weaving a pair of fabric layers and 11 in parallel spaced relationship on opposite sides of a median plane. The layer 10 is composed of warp yarns 12 interwoven with filler shots 13 and the layer 11 is composed of warp yarns 14 interwoven with filler shots 15. Upper and lower sets of warpwise pile gage members and 21 are disposed in spaced parallel relationship between the fabric layers 10 and 11 and on opposite sides of the median plane between said layers. Sets of filler shots 22 and 23 are disposed above and below the upper set of gage members 20 and similar sets of floating filler shots 24 and 25 are disposed above and below the lower set of gage members 21. Pile warps 26 are anchored in the fabric layers 10 and 11 and extend under and over the floating filler shots 22 and 23 on the upper set of gage members 20 and under and over the floating filler shots 24 and 25 on the lower set of gage members 21 in their path between the fabric layers.

Each gage member 2! is composed of a relatively stationary portion formed from a thin metal strip 30 having smooth upper and lower surfaces along which the floating filler shots 22 and 23 slide. An articulated portion, composed of a pair of thin metal strips 31 which are .secured 3,239,7fl6 Patented Dec. 6, 1966 together by spot welding and shaped at their .forward end to form cars which are pivoted to the trailing end of the strip 39 with the end of the strip 30 disposed therebetween so as to eliminate any projections which might interfere with the free movement of the yarns as they progress forwardly along the gage members. The rearward ends of the strips 31 are disposed within and slide longitudinally of hollow sliding links 32, and are secured by pins 33 carried therein by said links. Pins 33 extend through an elongated slot 34 in the strips 31. Each link 32 is pivoted to a heddle strip 35 which is actuated by a heddle frame of the usual type. The arrangement is such that each hollow link 32 slides longitudinally over the respective end portion of each of the strips 31 as its rearward end is raised and lowered by the heddle strip 35. This construction wherein the rearward ends of strips 31 slide within a hollow link and the rearwards ends of strips 30 are disposed between the ears at the leading ends of the two strips 31 eliminates any projections or shoulders in the direction of advance of the yarns and insures the smooth advance of the yarns along the gage members without breakage.

Each lower gage member 21 is composed of a stationary strip 40, a pivoted strip 41, and a sliding hollow link 42 similar to the portions 30, 31 and 32 above described. The hollow link 42 is pivoted to a heddle strip 45. Y

The leading ends of the strips 30 and 40 are formed with arcuate surfaces 36 and 46 which are engaged respectively by fluted rolls 37 and 47 which are mounted in vertical spaced relationship and are adapted to hold the gage members in spaced fixed positions. The rolls 37 and 47 are formed with longitudinal flutes or grooves 38 and 48 to receive and advance the floating filler shots as they are fed over the leading ends of the gage strips 30 and 40 respectively. A reciprocating knife 50 is disposed to slide on a rail 51 between the rolls 37 and 47 in a position to cut the pile warps 26 midway between the fabric layers 10 and 11 while the pile yarns are still held taut by the filler shots on the gage members 20 and 21. The fabric layer 10 is advanced over guide rods 52 by a pin roll 53 and the fabric layer 11 is similarly advanced in the usual manner.

A set of stationary gage wires 60 extend parallel to the gage members 26) and 21 with their forward ends extending between the fabric layers 10 and 11 and with their trailing ends attached to support wires 61 which are preferably stationary so that the upper shuttle 62 rides on and is supported by gage wires 60 when the. gage strips 31 are in raised position. These gage wires 60 also provide an upper shed for the lower shuttle 63 when the lower gage strips 41 are in their lower position. The warp yarns 12 and 14 and the pile yarns 26 are actuated by suitable heddle not shown as in the usual double shuttle loom.

In the operation of this apparatus the gage strips 31 and 41 shedded by the heddle strips 35 and 45 in the same manner as the warp yarns for the laying of the floating filler shots above and below the upper and lower gage members 20 and 21 and the weaving of the fabric layers 10 and 11 and the laying of the pile warps 26 as above described. Certain of the pile warps may be passed directly from the upper to the lower fabric layers while other pile warps are interlaced with the floating filler shots as described more in detail in my copending application above mentioned, to form, when cut, pile fabrics having all long pile or a combination of long and short pile.

What is claimed is:

1. In a loom of the double shuttle type for weaving upper and lower fabric layers face to face on opposite sides of a median plane with pile yarns anchored in said layers and extending therebetween, upper and lower sets of warpwise sheddable pile gage members disposed between said layers on opposite sides of said median plane, heddle means connected to said members, spacing means disposed between and engaging the forward ends of said sets of gage members, a knife mounted to reciprocate between said supporting members for cutting said pile yarns in a zone between said sets.

. 2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which said spacing means comprise rolls and said gage members are formed with arcuate forward end portions riding on said rolls.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2 in which said rolls are formed with longitudinal grooves adapted to receive and advance filler yarns from said gage members.

4. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which each of said gage members comprises a relatively stationary forward portion and a movable rearward portion said rearward portion being pivotally connected to said heddle means and to said stationary portion.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4 in which said rearward portion comprises a pair of relatively slidable parts.

6. A device as set forth in claim 5 in which said slidable parts comprise a strip pivoted to the trailing end of said stationary portion and to a hollow link connected to said heddle means.

7. A device as set forth in claim 6 in which said rearward portion is formed at its forward end with ears disposed on opposite sides of said trailing end to form said pivot.

8. A device as set forth in claim 1 having a set of relatively fixed gage wires disposed between said sets of gage members in a position to support a shuttle and fixed means carrying the rearward end of said gage wires.

9. A pile gage member for a double shuttle loom comprising a hollow link to be connected to a heddle, a gage strip having an end portion sliding in said hollow link and having a pair of ears at its other end and a second gage strip having one end pivotally disposed between said ears, said hollow link and said ears providing for the smooth passage of yarns over said gage member.

10. A pile gage member as set forth in claim 9 in which said first strip member and said hollow link are secured by a pin and slot connection for relative sliding movement.

11. A pile gage member for double shuttle looms comprising a heddle strip adapted to be secured in a heddle frame, a hollow link pivotally mounted to said heddle strip, a first strip member having one end slidably held in said hollow link and having a pair of ears at its other end, and a second strip member having one end disposed between and pivoted to said ears.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 806,729 12/1905 Zimermann 13937 813,132 2/1906 Zimmerman 139-37 2,691,195 11/1928 Howard 139-21 2,048,456 7/1936 Krehbiel 13937 2,142,025 12/1938 Hall 139-21 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

DONALD W. PARKER, H. S. JAUDON,

Assistant Examiners. 

1. IN A LOOM OF THE DOUBLE SHUTTLE TYPE FOR WEAVING UPPER AND LOWER FABRIC LAYERS FACE TO FACE ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A MEDIAN PLANE WITH PILE YARNS ANCHORED IN SAID LAYERS AND EXTENDING THEREBETWEEN, UPPER AND LOWER SETS OF WARPWISE SHEDDABLE PILE GAGE MEMBERS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID LAYERS ON OPPOSITE SIES OF SAID MEDIAN PLANE, HEDDLE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID MEMBERS, SPACING MEANS DISPOSED BETWEEN AND ENGAGING THE FORWARD ENDS OF SAID SETS OF GAGE MEMBERS, A KNIFE MOUNTED TO RECIPROCATE BETWEEN SAID SUPPORTING MEMBERS FOR CUTTING SAID PILE YARNS IN A ZONE BETWEEN SAID SETS. 